May 11, 2018

No matter how much love you have for animals, as an animal welfare organization you still need donations to fund basic necessities. Food, bedding, and medicine all come with a price and raising the funds to cover them is one of your biggest goals. Depending on your support system, partnerships, and the number of animals you provide care for, finding donors is sometimes challenging for animal shelters.

We’ve put together a list with five of our favorite fundraising ideas to increase donations to your animal shelter.

Professional Pet Photos

People treat their pets like family and giving them a chance to have professional photos taken is a great opportunity to raise money for your animal shelter. Partner with a local professional photographer to set up a photo opportunity at your location. Invite local community members to bring their pets for a photo session. You can charge a flat fee or accept donations depending on the photographers pricing. In addition to money raised by pictures, visitors may find a new beloved family member they’d like to adopt.

Pet Costume Contest

A pet costume contest is another fun way to raise money. Look for local community events like builder shows or street fairs that offer vendor spaces to organizations. Once you have an event scheduled, invite the community to submit pictures of the pets in costumes for a friendly competition. At the event, display the photos and let visitors vote for their favorite one with monetary contributions. When the contest is over, award the top three with a pet store gift card or baskets filled with pet supplies.

Hold a Pet Wash

Hosting a pet wash is a fun twist on the traditional car wash approach. Find a public spot that will let you set up that gets a good amount of foot traffic and is easy for patrons to stop in. Offer to give their pets a bath in exchange for a donation to your animal shelter.

Sell Animal Calendars

Calendars filled with animal pictures are a huge hit! You can either take pictures of animals available for adoption or ask adopting families to submit pictures of their furry family members. Connect with a local printing company to create and finalize the calendars and then sell them starting in November at events you attend, on social media, or on your website.

Add Penny-Wars to your Vendor Table

Many animal shelters set up at vendor events throughout the year. Having a game or some engaging activity at your table is a great way to attract traffic and start conversations. A Penny War allows attendees to vote for either a favorite animal or breed by dropping their change into the appropriate bucket.